MLB Player News

Puk (elbow) was credited with the win in Triple-A Las Vegas' victory over El Paso on Tuesday, firing two scoreless innings in which he allowed a hit and recorded two strikeouts.

Puk's Triple-A debut was a successful one, with the left-hander throwing 13 of his 17 pitches for strikes in a highly efficient outing. Puk is expected to join the big-league bullpen come August; therefore, he's likely to see a handful of outings of similar duration to Tuesday's in coming days with the Aviators in preparation for such a role.

Rogers allowed two earned runs on two hits and a walk while striking out one to blow the save Tuesday against the Yankees.

Rogers came on in the ninth inning to protect a one-run lead against the Yankees, but failed to convert, as he surrendered a two-run homer to Aaron Hicks. While he was ultimately bailed out by the Twins' offense in the bottom of the ninth to avoid the loss, Rogers has now blown two of his last three save chances. He still maintains a strong 2.27 ERA and 11.1 K/9 across 47.2 innings for the season, though his recent struggles could cause the Twins to look for bullpen reinforcements as the trade deadline looms.

Covey (1-6) allowed five earned runs on six hits across six innings to take the loss Tuesday against the Marlins. He struck out seven and did not issue a walk.

Covey held the Marlins scoreless through three innings, but allowed four earned runs in the fourth inning -- capped by a two-run home run by Curtis Granderson. He did show some strong skills, with his seven punchouts backed by 14 called strikes and 12 swinging strikes. He threw 86 total pitches, his highest total since May 31. He should be fully stretched out for his next start -- currently scheduled for Sunday against Minnesota -- during which he'll look to improve on his 6.04 ERA and 1.51 WHIP.

Peters was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Tuesday.

Peters delivered five scoreless frames in Sunday's spot start, but he nonetheless makes his way back to the minors. The 26-year-old has a 2.63 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 12:5 K:BB over 13.2 major-league innings this season and should be in consideration when the Angels require an additional starter in the future.

Abreu was lifted from Tuesday's start at Double-A Trenton due to an apparent shoulder injury, Greg Johnson of the Trentonian reports.

Abreu threw 20 pitches before being removed from the contest. The extent of the injury is unknown at this time, so he'll be considered day-to-day until further notice.

Merryweather (elbow) has paused his rehab assignment due to fatigue, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Merryweather has been out all season while recovering from last March's Tommy John surgery. He made just a pair of rehab appearances before the fatigue problem surfaced. He'll be re-evaluated at the end of the week.

Pressly hasn't been used since Thursday after taking a comebacker off his knee in that day's game against the Angels, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

It doesn't sound like Pressly has been completely unavailable, but manager AJ Hinch has successfully been able to avoid him in favor of other options. The reliever hasn't been placed on the injured list, so it's likely that he'll get into a game sometime soon.

Payano was called up to be the primary pitcher following opener Brett Martin against the Mariners on Tuesday.

Pedro has made one career big-league appearance, tossing a single scoreless inning in early July. He owns a mediocre 4.34 ERA in 29 innings for Triple-A Nashville. Ronald Guzman was optioned in a corresponding move.

Axford (elbow) has been throwing off a mound and will be re-evaluated later in the week to determine if he's ready for a rehab assignment, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Axford has yet to pitch this season due to a stress reaction in his right elbow, but he appears to be inching towards a return. Even if he's cleared to embark on a rehab stint later in the week, he'll likely need a lengthy stay in the minors to get his arm back in shape.

Martin will serve as the opener Tuesday against the Mariners, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

There was some thought that the Rangers were going to change plans after Martin recorded five outs in Monday's contest, but he's evidently ready to throw again Tuesday. Don't expect him to throw much more than an inning, however. Pedro Payano will be the primary pitcher once Martin leaves the game.